UKRAINE: THE WAR AND THE LAW ON DE-OCCUPATION

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraines parliament, has extended the effect of the law on special local governments in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts for a year. The parliament passed the bill On the Creation of the Necessary Conditions for the Peaceful Settlement of the Situation in Regions of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts by 229 votes on Oct. 6. The law on de-occupation, the law on the return of Ukrainian sovereignty to Donbas brings the legal field in line with the real state of affairs. The territories are legally proclaimed temporarily occupied by the Russian occupation troops. Ukraine qualifies Russia as country-aggressor. And we secure the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, President Petro Poroshenko noted in his statement on the adoption of relevant decisions by the Verkhovna Rada.